The disclosure relates most generally to semiconductor devices and solar cell devices and more particularly to methods for identifying, locating and characterizing junctions between different materials or junctions between regions having different doping characteristics.
As technology advances, semiconductor integrated circuit devices, solar cells, other semiconductor devices and various other devices are being formed to smaller and smaller dimensions. Many devices are scaled down to the nanometer scale.
Particularly within this regime, the various device features must be accurately formed and positioned. It is important to identify the dimensions and locations of such features using reliable and accurate measurement techniques. For example, it is desirable to identify the junction or interface between various different materials or between various regions having different dopant characteristics. P-n junctions are the active sites where the electronic action of device takes place and represents one such junction. It is useful to identify the location of these junctions, but this becomes increasingly challenging as dimensions become reduced. Non-destructive, accurate and rapid measurement techniques are needed.